Middlesex CC Alum On His Path to Becoming a CPA

Middlesex Community College helped alum Garen Simonyan adjust to college after graduating from high school. Now working towards becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – with a job lined up at a firm in Boston – Simonyan returned to Middlesex to finish additional credits. He believes MCC helped prepare him for his future.

A Waltham-native, Simonyan graduated from MCC in the Spring of 2017 as a Business Administration Transfer major with a Concentration in Accounting. He transferred to UMass Boston and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance.

“MCC has helped set the pace for my career growth and development,” he said. “Through MCC, I truly realized the career path I wanted to take in accounting, after having taken a couple of courses here.”

Two classes stand out during his tenure at Middlesex – Introduction to Business with MCC Professor Ashli Ree and Financial Accounting with MCC Professor Vikram Sharma. Simonyan said he enjoyed “the process of jumping into the business world” and his professors’ style of teaching – including how they could present topics in interesting ways.

While he was earning extra credits towards his CPA, Simonyan chose to take a class with Ree again because of how helpful she had been when getting his associate degree.

For him, the Business program made such an impact because it helped build a solid foundation that provided him with the knowledge and skills he needed to succeed. Having the opportunity to talk to his professors about their own personal experiences also inspired him and showed him he could be successful in his career path.

“I pursued a business degree ­– specifically in accounting – because I enjoy learning and working with different industries and how they operate,” he said. “Luckily as a future auditor, I will have the opportunity to work in different industries, with companies both large and small.”

Simonyan worked through college as a Customer Experience Coordinator at his local T.J. Maxx and is currently performing bookkeeping services for a few clients until he starts his full-time position in 2021. When he was in high school, he worked with his family at an autobody shop and made a schedule to balance work and coursework. This helped him adjust to working while taking classes at Middlesex.

Because of his positive experience at Middlesex, Simonyan recommends other students attend ––­ especially as a starting point ­– to figure out what they might want to pursue.

“It is the best knowledge that students will gain, for such low tuition pricing as well,” he said. “Large universities have incredibly high pricing, for essentially the same introductory courses that MCC provides. Community colleges in general, are the best place to launch college careers.”

Whether working towards an associate degree, earning credits for an advanced degree or upgrading skills, MCC has students covered with 20 business degree and certificate programs ­– including bookkeeping, payroll, sales, automotive or aviation mechanics, human resources, management, marketing, retail buying, hotel management, convention planning, tourism and launch your own business.

MCC’s Business program helps students go into the workforce or transfer to four-year schools with its award-winning and affordable offerings, small class sizes and flexible schedules.

Visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/discover/dyp_business.aspx for more information and to discover your path to a Business degree at Middlesex.

Registration is open for both MCC’s WinterSession and Spring Semester. WinterSession runs January 4-22. The Spring semester starts January 26. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration/ or call 1-800-818-3434 to register for classes.

MCC is celebrating 50 years! If you have ever taken a class at MCC, you are an alum! To share your story – and join in on the 50th anniversary celebrations – contact Amy Lee, Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, at 978-656-3028 or leea@middlesex.mass.edu.

Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/alumni/ for more information and to join the Alumni Association.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, we educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners. MCC offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses – on our campuses in Bedford and Lowell, and online. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!